Remembering a forgotten fighter for civil rights: Harry T. Moore

Remembering a forgotten fighter for civil rights: Harry¹ T. Moore

Transcript²

Seventy years ago, one of Florida's first civil rights leaders, Harry T. Moore and his wife Harriette, were killed in a Christmas Day bombing. No one was ever charged. A museum now tells his story.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Seventy years ago, one of the first civil rights leaders of the modern era was killed in a bombing in Florida. Harry T. Moore isn't as well-known as Medgar Evers or Martin Luther King Jr. Moore became an activist³ earlier than either of those civil rights icons⁴. In the 1930s, Moore began investigating lynchings and registering African Americans to vote. Greg Allen has his story.

GREG ALLEN, BYLINE⁵: Mims is a small town on Florida's Atlantic coast, near Cape⁶ Canaveral. When Harry T. Moore and his wife, Harriette, settled there in the late 1920s, it was home to just a few thousand people. A century later, it's still a small town and home to the Harry T. and Harriette Moore Cultural Complex.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Group 1 - this door.

ALLEN: School groups visit almost daily. There's a museum where visitors hear about Moore's early history. He and his wife were both teachers who lost their jobs because of Moore's activism. Undeterred, he became the NAACP's executive secretary in Florida, traveling the state, fundraising, organizing chapters and registering voters from his home base in Mims.

Bill Gary, a former head of the NAACP in Brevard County, says Moore laid the groundwork for the modern civil rights movement.

BILL GARY: Moore was fighting for the right to register Black voters. Moore was fighting to get anti-lynching legislation passed. He was fighting to equalize Black and white teachers' salaries.

AISHA HOSEY: Come in. Come in here.

ALLEN: At the cultural complex, there's a replica⁷ of the house where Harry and Harriette Moore raised two daughters. The original was destroyed in a bombing on Christmas Day in 1951. Dozens of eighth grade students crowd into the tiny shotgun-style house.

HOSEY: I want you to know that Mr. Moore was a extremely brave man.

ALLEN: Museum guide Aisha Hosey shows visitors the 1940s-style kitchen and the Christmas tree still standing⁸, like it was the night Moore was killed.

HOSEY: He registered voters, and voters are extremely important. He fought against lynching, and lynching was prevalent.

ALLEN: Visitors knew Florida for its warm weather, its beaches and its orange groves⁹. But for decades, the state was also the scene of lynchings and violence against African Americans. Anti-Black violence by whites had destroyed communities in Rosewood and Ocoee in the 1920s. Between 1900 and 1930, Florida had the nation's largest number of lynchings per capita.

That's the Florida where Harry T. Moore grew up and decided¹⁰ things had to change. In the 1940s, along with other NAACP leaders, Moore founded the Progressive Voters League, a group that, over several years, registered more than 100,000 Black voters. Moore knew his work on voting rights was dangerous and could cost him his life.

Ben Greene, author of a book about Moore, "Before His Time," says the Ku Klux Klan was active and visible in Florida, especially at election time.

BEN GREEN: There was just outright¹¹ intimidation¹². I mean, there was - in Lake County, you know, there was a klan march on Election Day through the Black neighborhood, just basically saying, don't even think about going to the polls.

ALLEN: By 1951, a series of racist¹³ bombings throughout the state drew national press. It was called the Florida Terror.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: A tense Negro-white housing dispute, as living units were bombed and a race riot was about to flare¹⁴...

ALLEN: In Miami, dynamite¹⁵ was used to bomb a housing project that was open to Black families. Bombings linked to the klan also hit central Florida, including at an ice cream shop that served Blacks and whites at the same window.

During this time, Harry T. Moore was actively¹⁶ campaigning to reverse the conviction of three African American men, the surviving members of the Groveland Four. They had been falsely accused of raping¹⁷ a woman and beating her husband. As the retrial for two of them was set to begin, the sheriff in Lake County, Willis McCall, shot both men, claiming they were trying to escape. One survived. In the weeks before his death, Moore was working to have McCall removed as sheriff.

Ben Green.

GREEN: He is calling for McCall to be suspended and tried for murder. And as far as white people knew, he was the guy you had to get. He was the Black man that was stirring things up.

ALLEN: Weeks later, Moore was at home in Mims with his wife and daughter on Christmas night when a bomb went off under his bedroom. He died almost immediately. Harriette died a week later. His daughter survived. The FBI sent a dozen agents to Florida. Their investigation¹⁸ took over a year, but neither the bureau nor a grand jury identified who was responsible, and no one was ever charged for the murders. Green says news about Moore's murder and the investigation quickly disappeared from Florida papers.

GREEN: Florida wanted this story to go away. They wanted to get this story off the front pages. It was hurting tourism - all those bombings in Miami and Orlando.

ALLEN: It was 1951, three years before the Supreme¹⁹ Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision that sparked a new era in the civil rights movement. Harry Moore's story and accomplishments²⁰ were largely forgotten in Florida.

In 2005, as he prepared to run for governor, Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist reopened the investigation of Moore's murder, relying mostly on the extensive FBI file. He named four klansman, all long dead, as the murderers. Others, though, are skeptical²¹ the murders have truly been solved.

GARY: That's a very debatable question.

ALLEN: Bill Gary is now the president of the Moore Cultural Center. He says circumstantial evidence is strong that the four klan members were involved. But if so, he says, it's likely they were part of a larger conspiracy²².

GARY: And that's a question that, I don't know, may never be answered, as to who initiated²³ the plot to kill him.

ALLEN: Seventy years after the Moores' deaths, Gary is encouraged that Florida is beginning to address injustices²⁴ that are part of its racist past. Last year, Florida formally exonerated²⁵ the Groveland Four. Brevard County School Board acknowledged the unjust firings of Harry and Harriette Moore and reinstated them as teachers. It also adopted a curriculum for elementary and high school students that includes field trips and classes on the Moores and their accomplishments.

At the same time, Gary says some still want to censor²⁶ history. He's concerned about a bill promoted by Florida's governor that would ban teachers from discussing subjects that would make white students feel guilt²⁷ or discomfort²⁸ on account of their race. He's blunt in his assessment²⁹.

GARY: Legislation of this sort is the same legislation that was passed during Jim Crow era. It is to suppress and control people. It's to provide your own narrative³⁰.

ALLEN: If it becomes law, Gary doesn't think the bill will affect the newly adopted curriculum. Students who visit on field trips don't express guilt or discomfort. Their main questions are, who killed Harry T. Moore, and why wasn't anyone brought to justice?

Greg Allen, NPR News, Mims, Fla.

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

7 replica   

n.复制品

参考例句：

• The original conservatory has been rebuilt in replica.温室已按原样重建。
• The young artist made a replica of the famous painting.这位年轻的画家临摹了这幅著名的作品。

8 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

9 groves   

树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The early sun shone serenely on embrowned groves and still green fields. 朝阳宁静地照耀着已经发黄的树丛和还是一片绿色的田地。
• The trees grew more and more in groves and dotted with old yews. 那里的树木越来越多地长成了一簇簇的小丛林，还点缀着几棵老紫杉树。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

12 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

13 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

14 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

15 dynamite   

n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破)

参考例句：

• The workmen detonated the dynamite.工人们把炸药引爆了。
• The philosopher was still political dynamite.那位哲学家仍旧是政治上的爆炸性人物。

16 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

17 raping   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的现在分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• In response, Charles VI sent a punitive expedition to Brittany, raping and killing the populace. 作为报复，查理六世派军讨伐布列塔尼，奸淫杀戮平民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The conquerors marched on, burning, killing, raping and plundering as they went. 征服者所到之处烧杀奸掠，无所不做。 来自互联网

18 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

19 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

20 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

21 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

22 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

23 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

24 injustices   

不公平( injustice的名词复数 )； 非正义； 待…不公正； 冤枉

参考例句：

• One who committed many injustices is doomed to failure. 多行不义必自毙。
• He felt confident that his injustices would be righted. 他相信他的冤屈会受到昭雪的。

25 exonerated   

v.使免罪，免除( exonerate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The police report exonerated Lewis from all charges of corruption. 警方的报告免除了对刘易斯贪污的所有指控。
• An investigation exonerated the school from any blame. 一项调查证明该学校没有任何过失。 来自辞典例句

26 censor   

n./vt.审查，审查员；删改

参考例句：

• The film has not been viewed by the censor.这部影片还未经审查人员审查。
• The play was banned by the censor.该剧本被查禁了。

27 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

28 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

29 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

30 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。